Drown in Your Memory
by Infamousplot
Summary: They're back. Somehow. Axel feels nothing but emptiness. Xion feels loss. Roxas, regret. Wandering this road that seems to lead to nowhere, they can't help but wonder... Will they ever meet again? "Next Life" fic, oneshot.


**Another Days songfic... I think this is my... Third? Fourth? I can't remember... Anyway, this is one that's been popping into my mind every time 'A Thousand Miles' comes around on my i-pod, so I decided to write it out. It's one of those weird, 'Next Life' esque things where Axel, Roxas and Xion meet each other again. Not really the afterlife, but not really the real life... I guess it's like limbo or something. There's no speech, just Axel, Roxas and Xion finding each other again. It's mostly friendship, with a hint of AkuShion in there (I have _got_ to write a full-fledged AkuShion fic already!) somewhere, so, enjoy.**

**Disclaimer(s): I do not own Axel, Roxas, Xion, or any other KH/Final Fantasy characters/worlds  
>I do not own 'A Thousand Miles'<br>"Unmuttle" is not a word**

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><p><em>Making my way downtown<br>Walking fast  
>Faces pass<br>And I'm home bound_

His fingers curl around the sturdy handle of the suitcase, gripping it tightly. Black boots he'd grown so used to tap against the cobbled stone, and the world blurs by in waves of familiarity. There was Isa's house. There was Cid's place. That was the fountain Leon had shoved him in. There was the fence Yuffie loved to walk on. A brown-haired man breezes by him as though he were invisible, and he might as well be. Though his chest still ached inside to see these faces he'd grown up with go by without even a little recognition, he knows it's for the best.

_Staring blankly ahead  
>Just making my way<br>Making a way  
>Through the crowd<em>

A small dark-haired girl sprints by, shoving him past him, and he ignores her. She doesn't matter any more. Because that was that life. That was the past. He is living for this one now.

At least... If he can find something worth living _for_...

_And I need you_

A raven-haired girl bobs up in his mind, and he forces her face away.

_And I miss you_

That stupid blond appears, and he shoves him aside.

_And now I wonder..._

Will he ever see them again? Those two pieces of his heart?

_If I could fall  
>Into the sky<em>

Above him is nothing but the blue sky, not a cloud in sight. Despite the sun, though, he still feels as though the rain from earlier on has yet to stop.

_Do you think time  
>Would pass me by<em>

Memories spill over him like raindrops, gathering in puddles and reflecting back at him. Blue eyes, black and blond, flashes of silver as they swing their weapons through the air. Laughter, sunsets, fighting, anger...

Loss.

_'Cause you know I'd walk  
>A thousand miles<em>

Before him stretches a dirt road. Squinting against the sunlight, he raises one hand to block it out. It disappears against the horizon, endless in his gaze. Sighing, he heaves the suitcase higher on his shoulder and continues his march. He still has a long way to go, but what else if there for him to do?

_If I could  
>Just see you<br>Tonight_

Solemn smile plastered on his face, he pushes on. A red headed man gazes up at him from a puddle, and he shatters the image with a shoe, splashing his reflection across the path.

_It's always times like these  
>When I think of you<em>

She isn't used to wearing clothing that is so light. The cloth wraps neatly over her chest, nothing like the heavy leather that used to weigh her down. The heat no longer threatens to murder her as she paces down the gravel road in silence. Mirages are playing on the horizon, images of two boys that were all too imprinted in her mind. One especially... The red-haired mirage smiles at her and extends a hand.

_And I wonder  
>If you ever<br>Think of me_

Grinning, she reaches out -

And her hand passes straight through. The two boys vanish, and she is left standing there in the boiling heat, silent and alone. The only heat burning her is her own embarrassment.

_'Cause everything's so wrong  
>And I don't belong<em>

Some force strangles her throat, and she blinks away the sting in her eyes. She knows she shouldn't be here. But it isn't her fault... Is it? She didn't ask to be brought back here. It had just... Happened. What was she supposed to do about it?

_Living in your  
>Precious memories<em>

Heaving a sigh, she pushes a lock of her dark hair behind her ear and trudges on. She has nothing to her name -no weapon, no belongings, just the clothes on her back. There is no family waiting for her. No friends with outstretched hands, no one to pull her into their arms and hold her close, to listen to the new thump of her new heart. This world is a clean slate, one she was wiped from long ago. And even if they _were_ here, they would never remember her.

_'Cause I need you_

She can almost see his emerald eyes watching her the way they used to, his daggers of red hair bobbing up and down as he walked.

_And I miss you_

She remembers the despair in his voice as he'd held her, begged her not to go. Guilt ebbs at her for having left them, especially for having left him, her partner in crime, the one who'd been by her side through thick and thin -her best friend.

_And now I wonder..._

Her feet splash through a puddle and she halts, closing her eyes to block out the world. Where is she supposed to go? What is she supposed to do?

_If I could fall  
>Into the sky<br>Do you think time  
>Would pass me by<em>

A sound reaches her ears, and she looks up. A tall silhouette stands atop the hill before her, suitcase draped behind his shoulder. Daggers of hair jut out from his head in every direction. A grin splits across his face, and she feels her new heart start to pound. It can't be... It's just another mirage. But...

He holds out his hand.

_'Cause you know I'd walk  
>A thousand miles<em>

She takes off, sandals pounding the grit as she sprints toward him.

_If I could  
>Just see you<br>Tonight_

Arms open wide as she crashes into him, then close to hold her tight. Tears streak down her face, yet she smiles like she's never smiled before.

_And I, I_

Nothing makes sense any more.

_Don't want to let you know_

Things he wanted to say, wanted to tell him, things that'd never stood a chance...

_I, I  
>Drown in your memory<em>

Tumbling through the darkness of his subconscious, he still sees them. Green eyes and blue, fire and light -both beacons leading him out of that place. Memories of them haunted him, filled and possessed him with guilt. There were so many things he'd never said. Things he should have said, wanted to say.

_I, I  
>Don't want to let this go<em>

He remembers her freezing to death, slowly but surely vanishing before his very eyes.

He sees him burning up, slowly falling into ashes, yet still with that pained smile plastered on his face.

_I, I  
>Don't...<em>

Apologies he wanted to make. Feelings he needed to unmuttle. Friendships he'd wanted to fix, but now no longer existed...

_Making my way downtown  
>Walking fast<em>

A golden glow settles over this familiar town, and his chest aches with the force of the memories. The clock tower looming over him is no help, and he forces himself to walk faster.

_Faces pass  
>And I'm home bound<em>

Three kids walk by, holding in their hands bars of ice cream, another reminder of that life he couldn't get back.

Check that, _two_ lives he couldn't get back.

_Staring blankly ahead  
>Just making my way<em>

They do not recognize him. For some reason, this doesn't sadden him as much as he'd thought it would. He passes by them, past the friends he'd never really had, and all he feels is the ache and the loss of the two that he left behind.

_Making a way  
>Through the crowd<br>_

He sees the grassy plain stretching out before him, an endless road of dust, and he pauses, suddenly frightened. He sees nothing out there but vast openness, space full of nothing, and it engulfs him in its silence. No one else seems to notice it. Maybe it isn't real. Maybe he's just insane.

_And I still need you_

He recalls a reassuring voice telling him to "Get it Memorized", a grin and a laugh that had always made him feel like things were going to be okay. His best friend.

_And I still miss you_

He remembers a saddened plea, a promise he'd made to a dying girl with only one hope left -him. His dear, dear friend.

_And now I wonder..._

He takes the first step, unaware as the world of twilight vanishes behind him, stranding him at these crossroads between worlds.

_If I could fall  
>Into the sky<em>

Heat shimmers around him as he walks, leaving him light-headed, faint. he feels almost as though he is floating rather than walking.

_Do you think time  
>Would pass us by<em>

He wants to go back, he realizes suddenly. Back to those days when things were simple. When life was nothing more than collecting hearts and eating ice cream with his two best friends. He wants to be with them again, be able to call himself their friend, to keep his promise and return to them, like he'd told himself. But he can't.

There is no going back.

_'Cause you know I'd walk  
>A thousand miles<em>

His legs are getting weary, as is his spirit. But he can't turn back, can he? Because there's nothing to turn back to. All he can do is move forward, he realizes, somewhat solemnly. Move forward and hope for the best.

_If I could  
>Just see you...<em>

The road is long, nearly endless. He wonders if he'll even make it where he's going -wherever it is he's going.

_If I could fall  
>Into the sky<em>

His foot lands in a small pool of water, and he stares down at the ripples, watching as his faces wavers in the puddle. He isn't sure how long he stands there, staring at his reflection. He doesn't know what he's waiting for, or what he expects to see. It's just a puddle. It's like a warped mirror, and no matter how long he stares at it, he knows it won't change a thing. His reflection will not change. He will still be alone.

_Do you think time  
>Would pass me by<em>

A cough comes from behind him, suddenly, and his heart skips a beat -whether from hope or terror he is not sure. Slowly, he turns, and his heart nearly stops altogether.

Green eyes and blue eyes stare at him, and he stares right back. There is no iciness in their gazes, he realizes with no small amount of relief. All he can see is warmth, the glow of a smile. He feels his chest start to cave in.

_'Cause you know I'd walk  
>A thousand miles<em>

Two hands stretch out toward him, waiting patiently for him to respond. He does not hesitate.

_If I could  
>Just see you<em>

It's them. They're really here. A grin splits across his face as he steps toward them, and their smiles do not falter. There are tears in her eyes, but she is grinning just like him. Green eyes shimmer with happiness as he walks forward, reaching back to them.

_If I could  
>Just hold you<em>

Both hands shoot forward, one to clasp his, the other to grasp hers. They link, and suddenly, his mind clears. The memories that stalked him fade away, leaving nothing a buzzing glow in their place. Grinning, he gives each hand a tight squeeze, and they return the gesture.

Though it makes no sense... Though none of them are sure how it ended up this way, it is a question that doesn't vex them.

_Tonight_

They are together again, and that is all that matters.

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><p><strong>There it was! Wasn't that cute? I think the second and third were kind of choppy, but, oh well, that's for you to decide. <strong>

**I seriously doubt there was anyone who couldn't figure it out, but just in case: The first 'He' was Axel, 'She' was Xion, and the last 'He' was Roxas. And "Unmuttle" is still not a word.**

**Please review! It will keep Roxas, Axel and Xion alive! ... I think.  
><strong>


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